


Adore

by maxbegone



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Female Friendship, Fix-It, Friendship, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Reunions, Sad with a Happy Ending, Ted still makes puns but they're minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:41:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23930974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxbegone/pseuds/maxbegone
Summary: She takes a deep breath in, eyes closed.“Alexis?”She opens them again to see, in all his glory and running gear, Ted Mullens standing across the path from her.-It's been three years since Alexis moved to New York. It has to mean something now that Ted's here, right?
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Theodore "Ted" Mullens/Alexis Rose
Comments: 33
Kudos: 196





	Adore

**Author's Note:**

> "Adore" by Amy Shark (featured in Girl's Night) is Ted and Alexis' song and you can fight me on that. 
> 
> This has been my pride and joy for a week and a half now. It took up so much of my time while I wasn't working and I am so, so happy to share it. 
> 
> Thank you to Amy, Cass, and Megan for cheering me on through the writing process and reading the rough drafts ahead of time.

New York has been thrilling.

Sure Alexis had been here before, but this was a different kind of city to her now. It was much kinder, really, and more adult. She wasn’t here for the high-profile Fashion Week parties or the nightclubs with unlimited bottle service. That was Alexis Rose of the past.

No, she was a badass GirlBoss now.

Between the networking events thanks to Interflix, which have allowed Alexis to really break in that business-y lingo, and the winters that allowed her to pull her winter coats out of storage, the past three and a half years have been rewarding.

She found an apartment on the lower east side; a studio with great lighting that reminded her slightly of David’s old place - but much less dark and monochrome, and _definitely_ smaller. The bonus, in her eyes, was the great juice place right around the corner.

Not to mention her runs have gotten exponentially more scenic now that she had the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park at her disposal, along with the rest of Manhattan.

It’s where she finds herself now, in Central Park, running along the path on a sunny Tuesday morning in early June. Alexis has her headphones in as she runs, her ponytail whipping behind her. It’s not too hot in New York, but Alexis has learned her lesson. It can get sickeningly humid, and the beaches on the south shore were mostly rocky. Still charming, though, even if they weren’t all the white sand beaches of Mykonos.

One of the great things about working freelance, she’s discovered, is getting to work from home - or really wherever she pleased. A few afternoons a week, Alexis sets up shop in a café nearby her apartment or, if she’s feeling particularly antsy, she’ll trek over to the West Side.

But Tuesdays are her days. On Tuesday, she breaks from the grind to get other things done; laundry, grocery shopping, and she always fits in her longer runs. She refuses to rush, and usually FaceTimes with Twyla or David around dinnertime.

Alexis slows herself as she comes up to a bench. She takes the opportunity to stretch out her calves, the pull in her left leg easing out. She removes her headphones, letting them hang limp around her neck, as she kicks a leg back to stretch out her hamstrings.

She takes a deep breath in, eyes closed.

“Alexis?”

She opens them again to see, in all his glory and running gear, Ted Mullens standing across the path from her. He’s sweaty, and he’s grown his beard out, but he much better than the last time she saw him. Less haggard, less…sick from bad milk.

He’s gorgeous.

Alexis swears her heart is going to burst. “O-oh my god. Ted?”

He comes over to her, smiling, his arms open for a hug. She rushes into it giggling.

“I’m gross! I’m sorry!”

Ted just squeezes her and says, “Yeah, so am I.”

When they pull back, she’s still in awe over the fact that Theodore Mullens is standing in front of her. She pokes him in the chest.

“Ow- What’s that for?” Ted’s laughing.

“I’m just making sure you’re a real person and not, like, someone I’m just imagining because I’ve been running for the last hour.”

“Well I can assure you that I’m real and really sweaty, so. How are you, how have you been?”

Alexis rocks back and forth on the spot. “I’m good! The PR stuff’s gotten pretty big, all freelance. I even did some stuff with BuzzFeed and Vox a few months back which is a super cute look for me.” She stops. “What about you? I thought you were still in the Galapagos.”

“My contracts up,” Ted states. “I’m in New York for a study. The Galapagos opened up a lot of doors for me research-wise. It really wasn’t until I was there that I realized I can do so much more than veterinary stuff. I still love it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to be able to do more, you know?”

God, does she. It feels nice to be making something of herself instead of prancing around like she did before her family was thrust into Schitt’s Creek. But, she does have a lot to thank that little town for. A _lot._

“Well that is really something.” Alexis twists the end of her ponytail.

They’re just staring at each other now, basking in the comfortable silence between them.

Ted speaks up first, hitching a thumb over his shoulder vaguely. “Listen, I have to run. Literally.” They both laugh, and Alexis takes pride in knowing that his honor hasn’t changed a bit. “But if you’re free for dinner tomorrow…?”

Her smile grows wider. “Yes. I am, yes.”

“Good! Does seven work?”

“Seven works. Uh,” she shakes her hands a bit. “but like, where am I meeting you?”

“I will figure that out and text you. You still have the same number, right?”

“Yep. Yes.” She’s nodding frantically now.

Ted smiles. Alexis’ heart swoops a bit. “Then I will text you tonight. Just leave it up to me.”

His smile changes into something a little more sincere. “It was really nice seeing you, Alexis.”

“You too, Ted.” Her reply is soft.

He hugs her again. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

With that, he waves and jogs off, leaving Alexis standing by the bench nibbling at her bottom lip.

—-

She’s sitting at her countertop with a container of Thai food that night, wearing legging and David’s tattered black sweater. She wonders briefly if he ever noticed that she never actually gave it back to him.

Alexis is waiting on Twyla to call her when her phone buzzes next to her laptop.

**Ted:**

**_i’m happy i ran into u today :) how does this place sound?_ **

The restaurant he sends her is a modern-looking place that apparently prides itself on its selection of natural wines (her brother would approve). She doesn’t respond, not yet, instead she flips her phone over and pours a glass of wine.

Alexis thinks back to the last time they saw each other. Their last evening together.

They took the long way home, driving along in silence as they left the town and headed toward Elmdale. They held hands over the console the entire time. All so they could be together just a little longer.

When they finally pulled up to the motel, Ted stepped out of the car with Alexis and kissed her. Her lips, her hair, and then her lips again for a long, long time. They had been so reluctant to let go of one another and pulling apart from Ted that final time made Alexis feel like she was leaving so much of herself behind. But she put on a brave face. She had whispered again that she loved him and went into her room with a somber smile.

She knew that Ted didn’t leave until a few minutes after her door was locked. Part of her hoped, just for a little while, that there would be a knock on the door like that morning and it would be Ted. Part of her hoped that he would circle back, and they could spend one last night together.

But he didn’t, and Alexis was alright with that.

She didn’t cry until her makeup was off and the lights were out, until she was absolutely sure that David was definitely staying at Patrick’s. She relished in the privacy and sobbed quietly under the covers.

When she woke up the next morning, Alexis was greeted with a tension headache behind her eyes.

She didn’t know if and when Ted healed. She just knew what he said was true: he loved her, too, and he was proud of her.

In the last few years, they exchanged the occasional birthday or holiday text, and every so often something on social media, but for the most part they had gone their separate ways.

Alexis jumps from her thoughts by the notification on her laptop. Twyla’s name flashes in the corner. She hits _Accept._

“Hey, girl!” Alexis chides. She opens her takeout container and sits up a little straighter.

“Hi!” Twyla smiles. “I’m sorry I took so long, I got caught up at the café.”

Alexis waves her off. “Don’t worry. You’re here now and that’s what matters.” She emphasizes the last bit with a tap of her finger on the countertop.

Twyla begins chopping something on her end. “So, how was your Tuesday?”

“Good!” Alexis presses her hands together. “You’ll never guess who I ran into today.”

Twyla gasps. “Was it Jay Leno? Alexis, I told you that if you ever ran into him you have to get an autograph for my mom!”

“No, it wasn’t Jay Leno. And your mom can get excited about someone literally so much better, like Jimmy Fallon or even - _ugh,_ I was going to say Anderson Cooper but let’s not bring him into this conversation.”

Twyla goes back to her cooking. “Alright, so it wasn’t Jay Leno. Who was it?”

Alexis pauses, trying to fight the smile forming on her lips. She lets it crack through just enough. “Uh, I ran into Ted this morning.”

The chopping on Twyla’s end comes to a halt as she looks directly into the camera. “Ted Mullens?”

“Yeah,” she offered a wider smile. “I was on a run and so was he.”

“Wait, did you guys _physically_ run into each other?”

“Yeah, no,” Alexis chuckles. “That would be a _very_ Ted thing if we did, though.” Her voice trails off somewhat dreamily.

“-lexis.”

“Huh?”

“I lost you there for a second.” Twyla’s leaning with her elbows on the counter. “Why is Ted in New York?”

“Something with research, he said.”

“And how is he?”

“Good! He looks healthy, and definitely less exhausted than the last time I saw him. No food poisoning.”

A soft laugh echoes from Twyla’s end of the call. “Healthy, huh?”

Alexis goes silent, she stares at her nail beds. “Hey, Twy?”

She blinks at her through the screen.

“He asked me to grab dinner with him tomorrow night. I said yes but…Do you think I should go? I mean, it’s been _years_ and it would be really nice to talk to him again. I just…”

Twyla’s smile grows into that wide, beaming thing where her eyes crinkle at the corners. It’s contagious, which is completely unfair, because now Alexis is smiling, too. It’s a knowing smile that Twyla wears.

“I really think you should.” She slides herself back upright. “All reservations aside, it’s not like you two ended on a bad note. Well, maybe all of that heavy food and dairy to pair with Ted’s food poisoning, but that doesn’t really count.”

Alexis scrunches up her nose. She sighs, “I really wish I could hug you right now.”

“Well,” Twyla turns back to her cutting board. “I’ll be there in two weeks, and you can give me a hug then.”

“Thanks, Twy.”

“Have fun tomorrow night, Alexis. Don’t stress, okay?”

She nods. “Okay. I mean, I don’t even know what I’m going to wear.” She peers over at her closet, mentally trying to piece together an outfit. “I don’t want to look too dressy, you know?”

“I’m sure whatever you wear, you’ll look flawless.”

“I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.”

Twyla nods. “I look forward to it.” She shovels what’s on her cutting board into a now-sizzling pot, then turns back to Alexis. She raises a wine glass.

“To reunions.”

Alexis raises her own glass and gestures toward the screen. “To reunions.”

___

Alexis busies herself with an onslaught of work the next day. She has a meeting with a startup in Green Point at noon that runs over by forty-five minutes. It’s fine, she doesn’t let it bug her. In fact, it’s a welcome distraction from the butterflies in her stomach that have been at home there since she woke up this morning. Apparently reconnecting with Ted was doing a number on her.

She refuses to sit in her apartment all day, so she hunkers down in a coffee shop six blocks away from her building. She sends out some emails, finalizes another meeting for the following week. But it only works for so long. Alexis gets distracted halfway through and instead finds herself staring blankly at her computer screen, her coffee going cold next to her.

She slams her laptop shut and shoots Twyla a text.

**Alexis:**

**_hi im nervous._ **

****

There’s an elderly couple sitting across the way from her with their hands clasped over the table. Alexis, with her head in her hands, watches them idly. The husband feeds a bit of pastry to his wife, his smile very bright. Alexis has to refrain from an audible reaction to the intimate moment.

Her phone dings.

**Twy:**

**_about ted?_ **

****

**Alexis:**

**_yeah._ **

**_no idea why. like I know ted. he’s not a stranger._ **

****

She sighs when her phone dings again and realizes that it’s instead a response from a client. Alexis types out a reply, although she’s very uninterested in it at the moment.

It takes a few minutes for Twyla to get back to her, and Alexis realizes that she’s probably in the middle of the lunch rush.

**Twy:**

**_maybe because it is ted? you guys haven’t seen each other in three years_ **

**_you’re probably nervous because you still care_ **

**_which isn’t a bad thing at all._ **

****

Alexis smiles at the message. Leave it to Twyla to make her feel better. She goes to respond, but the ellipses pop up, signaling her friend is typing out a message.

**Twy:**

**_and from what you told me, ted was really your first true love._ **

**_you didn’t chase him around the world like those other guys_ **

**_ps those stories scare me. I’m glad you don’t do that anymore : )_ **

****

Twyla’s right. It eases the tension a bit as Alexis rolls her shoulders back. She thanks Twyla and checks the time. It’s only 3:45, she still has a few hours before she even needs to get ready.

Alexis figures that a long shower accompanied with one of those masks David sent her would kill some time.

—-

Alexis is pacing.

She’s tossed basically half of her wardrobe around her apartment, cleaned it up, and has taken out a bunch of things once again.

Standing there in her bathrobe and slippers, hair and makeup fully done, she groans.

There’s her pale pink spaghetti-strap dress that she throws into a crumpled heap in the corner. And then there’s a green dress that is _completely_ out of the question. Something about an off-white mid-length dress with a high collar bugs the hell out of her and makes her feel claustrophobic. Again, Alexis throws it.

She collapses onto her bed with a heavy sigh. She needs someone to distract her. She needs her brother. Or, really, she needs to annoy him in order to distract _herself._

**Alexis:**

**_Daaaaviiiiddddd!!!!!_ **

**_im gonna call u!_ **

****

He doesn’t answer, which makes Alexis a little jittery.

**Alexis:**

**_im calling u_ **

**_david._ **

**_u better not be having sex!!!_ **

****

The line’s ringing. Alexis starts to pace again, and the line keeps on ringing.

“Come on- “

“Hi, I’m busy,” David answers, a little disgruntled.

“Um, hi to you, too David. Is that really how you greet your favorite sister?”

“You’re my only sister,” David starts. “and no, you’re not my favorite.”

“Yes, Patrick’s your favorite. We know that.” She misses her brother, and deep down, she knows he misses her, too. He had a tough time with everyone leaving around the same time, but she knows - and she’s so grateful - that Patrick eased the blow.

“He is. What’s up? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today.”

“Nothing!” It’s innocent enough. “I just thought I’d call and say hey and just, you know, see how you’re doing.”

David hums. “M’kay, if that’s it, then I’m gonna go, ‘cause-“

“Ugh! No, David! I need you to help me out here. I’m going to dinner with Ted!”

There’s a beat. “Ted? Your Ted? Ted _Mullens?”_

“No, Ted Danson. Yes, Ted Mullens!”

Alexis plays with her hair in the mirror. Maybe she should put it up? She should put it up.

“What’s Ted doing in New York?” There’s some shuffling on his end, some plates clinking together, and a door shuts lightly. He must be home already.

Alexis switches him over to speakerphone and strides back over to her bed.

“Work,” she supplies. “I don’t know what to wear.”

“What are your options?”

“Um…” Alexis scans the clothing on her bed, hands on her hips. “I have, like, a really cute skirt. I can tuck a flowy tank into, but I don’t have anything to go over it. And um, I think I’m gonna wear my hair up. Black’s out of the question, this isn’t a funeral.”

“Thanks,” comes David’s flat reply.

“Oh, relax.”

“Right, so when did this even happen?” Alexis can hear his expression through the phone. “Did he call you and tell you he was in the city or something?”

“No, I ran into him yesterday. I’ll catch you up later. I’m meeting him in an hour so if you could just help me.”

“Fine!” There’s a pause again. “Do you still have the silver crushed velvet dress?”

Alexis digs through her closet. “Yeah.” She pulls it out.

“Okay, there. Wear that.”

She grazes the material and her mind changes in a split-second. “No. Nope, _no._ It’s too humid for it tonight. It’ll just stick to me, which is gross.”

“Okay, I don’t need to hear about my sister’s sex life, thanks.” David sighs. “Fine, um…Wear blue. Blue’s always a nice color.”

“David I swear to god, if you’re talking to Patrick and not me,” she warns.

“I am talking to you!” He exclaims, voice high. “But Patrick did just walk in, so.”

There’s a muffled, “Who’s that?” somewhere in the background.

“Alexis. She’s going on a date with Ted tonight.”

“Ted Mullens?”

“No, Ted Danson.”

She hears a sarcastic, strung-out, _“Wow,”_ from Patrick. David’s laughing at him.

“It’s not a date!” She defends for some reason.

“But it _is,”_ David counters. He’s definitely smirking.

Alexis growls through her teeth.

Somewhere in the room Patrick calls, “Hi, Alexis!”

“Hi, Patrick! I need my brother for like three more minutes and then he’s all yours.”

“Seriously, do you have something blue? Everyone looks good in blue.”

“Not _everyone,_ David. And I literally cannot remember the last time you even wore blue.”

“I’ll have you know that Patrick’s pale blue button-down looks great on me.”

“Gross! I don’t want to know what you two do I the bedroom!”

“Says you!”

“I never said we’d be sleeping together, god! We’re just going for dinner.”

“Right, but you say that now.”

Alexis can hear the smirk in his voice. She wants to smack him.

“But seriously. Blue is a _really_ good color.”

Alright, now he’s mocking her. “Stop making googly-eyes at your husband! Yes, I have something blue…”

“What does it look like?”

Alexis walks back up to her closet and rifles through it. “Um…it’s a blue dress, David, I don’t-“

“Yeah, so I’m gonna need you to come closer to the phone where I can actually hear you, thanks _so_ much,” comes David’s impatient call.

She grabs the dress from its hanger and tries again. “It’s a pale blue wrap dress, like periwinkle, with little white baby’s breath printed all over it. Loose cap-sleeves, chiffon maybe? It’s mid-length. Flowy.”

David hums. “I know the one. Wear it.”

“David-“

“Wear it, Alexis. You look great in that dress. It’s breezy, it’s very you.” There’s a sale in his voice. A genuine one.

She plays with her earlobe nervously, but she manages a smile. “Okay. Okay, I’ll wear it.”

“Good. Let me know how it goes. I’m gonna go make out with my husband now-“

“Ugh, ew David, _ew!”_

“He’s making dinner and then we-“

“Goodbye!”

She ends the call abruptly.

David’s right, though. The dress cinches her in just the right places. She smooths it over her legs; the material is airy, it silhouettes her nicely. Alexis pulls her hair back into a high ponytail.

Strappy heels, a simple necklace that accents her collarbones and a pair of earrings to match. The nervous butterflies are back, but Alexis heads out the door without a second thought.

She’s ready.

—-

Ted’s already at the bar waiting when she walks into the restaurant, two glasses of wine poured out in front of him. He waves her over, beaming wide and cheery. He’s in that navy blue suit jacket she loves so much and _oh._

Oh, okay then.

Alexis shakes herself. “Hi!”

Ted closes the space between them. He smells great. It’s his same cologne and shampoo mix that she missed, and it’s really beginning to mess with Alexis’ head. Her heart is pounding in her chest once again.

“You look great! Table’s ready if you are.” Ted offers her his arm and one of the glasses of wine, which she takes happily. They move through a group of people towards their table.

A server comes over to rattle off the specials. It’s brief, his presence, but still too long for Alexis. She just wants to be alone with Ted in this raised corner booth and talk about anything, about _everything._

“So,”Ted begins. “what’s new with you? How are you? You obviously told me a little bit about work.”

“Well I’m loving it,” Alexis responds honestly. “I finally found something that stuck and the whole thing makes me happy. I get to meet new people, who are sometimes a little boring and desperate, but it comes with the territory.”

Ted’s nodding along eagerly. It makes her feel a little shy, it’s not fair.

“And Twyla’s coming to visit in a few weeks! I really can’t wait to see her. Oh! Um, did you know she bought the café? Like a month before I moved here.”

“Really? Good for her! She must have been saving up for that for a while.”

“She’s actually rich.”

 _“What?”_ He blinks quickly.

“Yeah. She apparently won some lotto money, like a _lot_ of lotto money, and never told anyone. So she bought the café and was really excited about it.”

“I…wow. That’s really great. Amazing, really.”

Alexis swats at Ted’s hand. “But enough about that. What’s new with you? You said you were in New York for research…?”

Ted’s eyes light up, which, how is that even possible when they’re alright so bright to begin with?

“I am! My head of team in the Galapagos put me in touch with a guy who runs a big research program between the Central Park and Bronx Zoos. I get to be around all sorts of animals. Even penguins.”

“Penguins,” she parrots. “Does that mean your next exhibition will be to Antarctica or the North Pole or something?”

“Hey, Antarctica’s the dream, but that probably won’t happen. Not anytime soon, at least.” Ted quiets for a moment. “How’s David? How’s Patrick? Your parents?”

Alexis presses her fingertips into the table and lifts a shoulder. “They’re disgustingly, adorably married Separately, obviously. Like my brother and Patrick together, and then my parents together. My mom’s doing another movie so she’s in Salem, actually. My dad’s there this week visiting her.”

“What kind of movie is it?”

“Some murder mystery thing, about witches because it’s in Salem, so. I really have no idea. She explained the plot to me but it’s really just…all over the place.” She flares her hands out.

“Well I can’t wait to see it.”

Alexis can’t help the soft expression on her face.

“Oh!” She shakes her head. “And my brother and Patrick have a little dog now. Here.” She pulls out her phone, scrolling through Patrick’s Instagram feed until she finds a picture of a fluffy labradoodle puppy with a mess of white and brownish fur.

“Aw, little guy!” Ted’s excited, it makes Alexis’ cheeks warm a bit. “Patrick really pushed for one, huh?”

“Well they moved into this really cute cottage and it’s big enough. I think it was David’s idea, actually.”

Ted hums. “Tell them I said congratulations. The wedding looked lovely.”

Alexis sighs dreamily. “It really was,” she starts. “It rained, but my dad pulled everything together, and my mom-“

“She looked like the Pope,” Ted finishes. He goes a little sheepish. “I saw pictures.”

There’s a pause. “You know, I’m just really happy for David. He deserves all of this. I mean, he smiles so much that it’s actually weird _not_ seeing him smile. Patrick’s just as head-over-heels for him. I’m just really so proud of him…”

Something pricks at her eyes thinking about this. She’s tearing-up, but blinks before it can escalate.

“You deserve it, too.” Ted’s voice breaks through her thoughts.

“What?”

“To be happy. To have someone that makes you smile every day.” Ted’s expression changes into something a little longing, a little tender. “I’m proud of you, you know.”

She does know. “I’m proud of you, too,” she says, but her voice gets caught in her throat so it comes out closer to a whisper.

Alexis’ fingers twitch at the stem of her wineglass and she has to force herself to stay still and tall, to not reach across the table for Ted’s hand.

“I have to ask you something, Alexis.”

 _Yes, I still love you,_ she thinks all too quickly.

And really, it shocks her how quickly she jumped to that. But it’s proving to be true. Three years later, it’s still oh so very true.

But she swallows. “Yes?”

Ted pauses, his mouth open for a second too long. “Did you…Did you wear a wedding dress to your brother’s wedding?”

It’s not what she expected. She brushes off the notion that Ted probably changed his mind on what he was really going to ask. Instead she rolls her eyes, her shoulders slouching just a bit.

“Uh, we are not talking about that, thanks. But if I did, keep in mind that it _was_ black and white themed, and David is a menace, so.”

Ted’s clearly amused by the answer. He picks up his glass. “Well you looked really nice. Even if it was a wedding dress.”

She hums. “Came with a headdress, too,” she adds.

“Oh god. Did you wear it?”

She waves a limp hand,” I thought it would overwhelm the dress.”

They fall back into this old routine of back-and-forth banter that Alexis didn’t realize how much she truly missed.

Ted is still so kind and gentle with her heart, even just over dinner. Their last night together, when Alexis let go of his hands one last time, she really believes that she left part of herself with him. But here and now, sitting in this little restaurant in Manhattan with Ted, he still holds onto that piece so carefully.

She loves him. She still loves him. Alexis comes to that conclusion a little impulsively, maybe, but here’s the thing - _she knows it._

Because while, yes, she’s focused more on herself in the past three years, Alexis has still caught herself thinking of Ted from time to time. Short spurts of wonder like, _What would it be like if he was here with me?_

The food comes and goes, and so does the bottle of wine split between the two of them. Dinner ends all too soon and all Alexis wants to do is prolong the night as much as she possibly can.

Ted beats her to it. “Can I walk you home?”

Her lips quirk into a small smile and she nods, linking her arm with Ted’s as she guides him down the street in the direction of her apartment.

The night’s cooled down a bit now that the sun has set. The humidity’s subsided, too, and there’s a gentle breeze gliding between the buildings. Alexis leans her head on Ted’s shoulder casually as they walk along. It feels so natural. They reach Mercer Street, the cobblestone road lit up by storefronts and streetlights.

There’s a busker with a guitar on one corner singing his heart out and strumming away.

Ted stops. Alexis is a few steps ahead of him before she realizes he’s extended a hand toward her.

“Wanna dance?”

It’s a sweet and cheesy gesture, but she’s all-in. Alexis places her hand in his, and he guides her closer to the man singing. She feels so happy and content with the night and to be in Ted’s presence again.

The moment is serene. It’s peaceful, and in this big, crowded city, everything dies out for a little bit. There’s no one else but them as Ted twirls Alexis around, the skirt of her dress flaring out. She pays close attention to Ted for minute and really, he hasn’t changed.

His brows still give way to creases in his forehead when he concentrates. His hair’s a little longer, and maybe a little darker, but it’s styled neatly. His beard’s much fuller and trimmed - which, admittedly she loves. Ted’s giving her that smile, too. The one she knows so well; it’s gentle it’s caring, and it’s a smile that makes her feel like she’s the only thing that matters to him in that moment.

And his eyes are still big and kind and blue.

_Blue’s always a nice color._

Alexis trips into Ted’s chest then. They’re laughing now that they’ve been pulled out of their little trance by a smattering of applause from passersby. Ted steps away to toss ten dollars into the busker’s case, who bids them adieu with the tip of his hat.

“You know,” Alexis begins as they continue their way on down the street. “that’s the most fun I’ve had dancing since Cabaret.”

Ted looks curious. “Are you saying that you haven’t danced since Cabaret?”

“I have! I just haven’t had that much fun doing it since the play.” She flicks a wrist for emphasis.

“It looked like you had a lot of fun on stage that night. I don’t think I could ever do it.”

“What, if you ever became a big-time scientist, you’d never get on stage and give a _TED_ Talk?” Alexis purses her lips into a little smirk, jutting out her chin.

“Alexis, you just made a pun!” He’s thrilled, it makes her giggle. “You just made a pun _with my name!”_

“I did, and I’m very proud of it.” She nods triumphantly with a loose fist coming up rest under her chin. “You totally watch those things, don’t you?”

“Oh, all the time,” Ted confirms and Alexis just hums.

They reach her apartment building, eventually.

“Well, this is me…” She turns to Ted, but neither of them makes a move to leave. Neither of them says anything.

It takes a minute of silent exchanges and faltering smiles to realize that they’re standing _very_ close together. Ted’s hand is on her waist suddenly, and Alexis is being guided towards him. Her stomach swoops, and as if it’s all happening in slow motion, her eyes flit down from Ted’s to his lips and back to his eyes again.

They’re kissing.

Slowly, softly. She’s pouring so much of herself into it. Every inch of herself feels delicate and somehow simultaneously on fire. Her fingertips tingle as she brushes at the beard on Ted’s jaw. It’s a faint touch, though, because some wild thing clicks within her and Alexis is stepping back.

“Alexis…”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “We shouldn’t…I-I don't want to do this if it’s just for, like, nostalgia or something. I’m not going to see you anytime soon, right? You’re just here on research, and when you’re done here you’re going back to Schitt’s Creek and-“ Her wrists go limp and she toys with her rings. “I’m sorry, Ted.”

He’s gazing longingly at her as she backs away.

“I am really happy I got to see you again, Ted. But I just keep doing this to you, and I can’t hurt you again. I-I’m sorry,” she says again, throat tightening.

Ted still doesn’t say anything. His focus has since shifted to a spot on the ground.

“Goodnight, Ted.” Alexis whispers.

If he says it back, Alexis doesn’t hear him. She’s already rushing through the narrow breezeway to the elevator. Once the doors close, she allows herself to let out a heavy sob. The heels of her palms press hard into her eyes and she shakes a bit.

 _Why, why why,_ she thinks.

Alexis will call Twyla in the morning. She’ll bother her brother at some point in the afternoon, too. It’s irresponsible, really, and she knows it’s late, but she cancels the meeting she had scheduled for tomorrow with a client in Gawanus, offering to reschedule for the next week. She claims she has the flu or something of the sort that way she doesn’t have to explain herself.

It’s just not going to work tomorrow. She’ll attempt to work from her apartment, she’ll order-in, she’ll cry.

For now though, she sinks deep into her covers. Alexis doesn’t want to hurt Ted, not now, not ever. She would do anything to have him beside her right now. But more than anything, she can’t let Ted get hurt again. Long distance didn’t work last time; they were growing and they were growing in different directions. Not apart, necessarily, but they grew toward something else.

In this scenario, Alexis decides, her heart comes second.

—-

“Have you heard from Ted at all?”

It’s been three days since dinner. Alexis has done nothing but attempt to distract herself. She told Twyla everything, she told David everything. She explained her reasoning, to both of them, why she backed off from Ted after kissing him, why she felt like she was only going to hurt him, why she felt so guilty.

David blatantly called her an idiot. Twyla was less harsh.

“I don’t think so.” Alexis sighs. She flops back into her pillows, fully dressed.

“What do you mean?” Twyla’s voice is tinny through the phone. She’s at the café, probably somewhere deep in the kitchen.

“I put him on Do Not Disturb. I was too nervous to see if he said anything.”

“Oh, Alexis…”

“I still feel awful about it, Twy!” Alexis rubs a hand over her face. “I pretty much embarrassed myself and I probably humiliated Ted.”

“You didn’t humiliate Ted.”

“You can’t be so sure about that.” She’s been kicking herself for three days straight. “Twy, you weren’t there.”

Alexis feels a little weak talking about it all again. She went on a longer-than-normal run this morning to clear her head, fully avoiding Central Park. Instead, she ran from her apartment, over to Union Square, and back again. Twice. Her legs hurt a bit, but she didn’t care.

“I wasn’t there, you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know you. Your intentions, in all the years that I’ve known you, Alexis, have been nothing but good. You wouldn’t - you _didn’t_ \- hurt Ted on purpose. I know that for a fact.”

She’s spiraling a bit. “But what if he thinks I was using him?”

“He definitely doesn’t think that.” Twyla is firm in her response. “Where are you right now?”

“In my apartment.”

“Are you laying down?”

Alexis sits up, feeling a little guilty. “Not anymore.”

“Please don’t mope around today, okay? There’s not point.”

She can’t help but smile at Twyla’s gentle coaxing. It’s nice out, beautiful, even. Maybe she’ll call Meg, one of the women she met at a networking event last spring and see if she wants to meet up for drinks.

“I won’t anymore, you’re right. I’ve done enough of that the last few days.” Alexis pauses, letting herself stretch. “Thanks, girl.”

“Of course,” comes Twyla’s sweet-voiced reply. “I really do think you should try calling him, though. Or at least see if he texted you. He won’t be mad. Maybe a little concerned, but not mad.”

“No, I’m sure he won’t be,” Alexis agrees. “Ted’s a really good person. He doesn’t deserve someone that keeps putting him through the wringer like this and breaking his heart.”

“He clearly still cares. If he didn’t, I don’t think he would have kissed you.”

She kicks at her slipper next to the bed. “I don’t know…” It’s barely audible.

“Listen,” Twyla starts up again, her voice much clearer now that she’s speaking directly into the phone. “You need to give yourself some credit. You’re wonderful, Alexis.”

She purses her lips and keeps listening.

“You didn’t hurt him. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just trying to protect yourself _and_ him, which is totally understandable. And you guys are probably bound to run into each other again since Ted sold his practice and he’s probably staying in New York, right?”

Alexis startles. “W-what?” She asks weakly. She might pass out.

“The city’s not that big-“

“No, no, Twyla. What did you just say? Ted _sold_ his practice? When? When did he do this?”

“A long time ago,” she answers. “I thought you knew this.”

“No! I didn’t I-He didn’t tell me.” Alexis bolts from her bed to find pair of shoes. “All he said was that new was in New York for work, I just assumed that-“

“That it would only be temporary,” Twyla finishes.

“Yes!” She clambers onto a barstool, pulling on a shoe. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I don’t know! I didn’t think about it. You guys still follow each other on social, I would think you would have seen _something.”_

“Yeah, but my main focus recently hasn’t been stalking Ted Mullens and seeing what he was doing with his life!” Alexis counters. “We ended on a really good note a few years ago, and I’ve been working. I haven’t…”

She looks around her apartment, blinking wildly. “Oh my god. I have to go.”

“Are you alright?” Twyla’s voice is laced with genuine concern.

“I’m fine, I promise. I need to find Ted. Love you, Twy. I’ll call you later”

Alexis hangs up before Twyla can say anything else. She grabs her purse and her guys and darts out of her apartment. The elevator takes too long, so she instead bounds down the stairs nearly stumbling a few times.

She’s breathless by the time she gets to her narrow little lobby. Alexis opens the main door fully intending on running down the street, but she’s stopped by the man standing on the bottom step.

Ted.

Her eyes go wide when she sees him. He’s holding a bouquet of long-stemmed white tulips and baby’s breath wrapped-up in brown paper, and he’s looking at her with a mix of something between remorse and relief. There’s a pang in her chest from it.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” he whispers “I-I’m sorry, you’re probably busy.” Ted begins to back up. “I’ll let you go.”

“No!” Alexis reaches for his hand. “I was coming to look for you, actually. But now that I think about it, I don’t even know where you live so I wouldn’t have really been successful with that.” She trails off sheepishly.

There’s a beat, before: “I texted you. A lot. I didn’t know if they were going through at all or if you’d just blocked me at this point, Ted mutters. “I’m sorry.”

Alexis shakes her head. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“Alexis, I’m not leaving New York.” Ted’s tone is strong and direct. “I know I wasn’t very clear on how long I would be here, but I’m not leaving. And I’m definitely not leaving without you. Not again."

Alexis is doe eyed as she listens to him. She lets the corners of her mouth tighten into a smile and says, “This is quite the rom-com moment.”

Ted smiles. “It is,” he agrees. “Can I come in?”

She nods. “Mh-hm.”

Ted follows her upstairs in silence. When she closes the door behind them both, he’s holding the bouquet out to her.

“These are for you, by the way.”

Alexis takes them delicately. She makes haste to unwrap them and put them in the only vase she owns - a gift from her parents - on her little kitchen island. They’re beautiful.

Ted’s hands are deep in his pockets when she turns back to him. There’s a long, drawn-out silence while they just stare at each other.

“You have a really nice apartment.” Ted’s comment is a little awkward and forced as he looks around at her bed, which was haphazardly made and still remains a little rumpled in the spot she was laying in earlier.

She huffs out a laugh. “Thanks.” Alexis angels her head a bit to catch his eye. “Ted.”

He swallows as he turns back to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me you sold your practice?”

“You were busy, I didn’t want to bother you,” he shrugs, and Alexis knows that’s not a valid reason but for now, she accepts it.

She can’t take it anymore. Alexis launches herself into Ted, knocking him back a few feet when she throws her arms around his neck. Ted’s lifting her off the ground ever so slightly, and it really makes her feel weightless. Because now here he is, Ted’s face buried into her neck as he holds her tightly. She doesn’t want to let go.

They stay like that for a moment until Ted has to place her back onto the linoleum. Immediately, Alexis puts a hand on the back of his head and pulls him in.

She kisses him. And kisses him. And kisses him. It’s dizzying, it’s thrilling, it’s perfect to be kissing Ted.

 _Her_ Ted.

When they pull apart, Alexis guides him gently over to the bed. Ted holds her tightly, as if she’ll dissipate into thin air if he lets go. Really, she fears the same thing. She plays with the strings of his zip-up hoodie, gazing at him.

“Can you just stay with me for a little bit,” she whispers, feeling a little small.

Ted kisses her forehead. “I’m not leaving you, Alexis,” he says into her hair.

So they lay there for a while, shoes kicked-off and facing each other with their heads close together. Ted’s playing with her fingers between them. Alexis is content and drifting toward sleep when Ted starts to speak.

“I sold my practice eight months after we broke up,” he begins softly. Suddenly, Alexis is very alert. “When my contract was up in the Galapagos, they offered to renew it but I opted to decline. I want to come home, I was finished there. My head of team put me in contact with someone here in turn.”

Alexis stays silent.

“And I accepted the job here knowing - hoping, really - deep down that there was a chance that I would get to see you again.

She smiles. “The city’s not that big. It was bound to happen eventually.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t see anything. Twyla didn’t say anything because she thought I already knew. David didn’t…David didn’t even mention it. I wonder if he even knew…” Alexis makes a mental note to yell at her brother later, but immediately scratches the thought when she realizes that if he _did_ know Ted sold, he didn’t tell her because he didn’t want her to be hung-up on him.

“Do you really want to do all of this with me again?” Alexis asks a moment later.

Ted’s looking at her with soft eyes. “I really do. I don’t intend on doing anything without you. That is to say if you’re alright with that.”

She wants to cry at the notion.

“We’ll take it slow,” he affirms. “We’ll work together, we’ve done it before, and we can do it again. For real, this time.”

“I’d like think we’re in good positions to be together again.” That statement alone makes her stomach swoop.

“I know we are. You’re stuck with me for as long as you’ll have me, Alexis.”

Alexis thinks back to when they met. Dorky, lovable Ted with his nerdy clothes and flat hair, and Alexis with her loneliness at the forefront of her mind.

She thinks about the years that followed, about how much they grew, together and apart and then back together again, only to send each there off with proud yet somewhat sad smiles.

She thinks about working with Ted in the vet’s office, not loving the animals but loving his company. She thinks about how much he supported her while she finished high school, how he showed up at her graduation when she thought no one else would.

She thinks about going to Warner Farms with David to survey a new vendor, only to discover it was _Heather_ Warner. She thinks about Ted sitting across from her at lunch and how badly she missed being with him.

She thinks about David saying, _“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”_ And yes, yes she was.

She thinks about Singles Week, when Ted sat down in front of her and said, _“I would be lying to myself if I said I hadn’t wanted to do this every single day for the last two years,”_ and then kissed her.

She thinks about finding him backstage after the opening night of Cabaret, with that ridiculous smile and the flowers he’d bought for her.

Alexis thinks about now, thinks about their future and everything she’s missed about him. She reaches out a hand to brush softly at his cheek.

“Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> If I have learned anything from anyone, it's that, when in doubt, finish your story with "Okay."  
> You can thank Neil Druckmann for that.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Come find me @maxbegone on tumblr!


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